


Buzzcut Season

by feentanz



Series: One Shots [40]
Category: Nikolai Series - Leigh Bardugo, The Grisha Trilogy - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, New Year's Eve, New Year's Kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-05-22
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:41:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24327457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/feentanz/pseuds/feentanz
Summary: “Is it still considered a midnight kiss if it’s one minute past twelve?” his voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts, barely more than a whisper. A firecracker went off somewhere. Zoya’s brain hadn’t quite comprehended the words just yet. “What-” she began, but was cut off by the sudden sensation of Nikolai’s lips pressed against her own.
Relationships: Nikolai Lantsov/Zoya Nazyalensky
Series: One Shots [40]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/594364
Comments: 3
Kudos: 43





	Buzzcut Season

Zoya stared at the clock on the wall. He wasn’t calling her back. He wasn’t even  _ messaging.  _ She felt her frustration rise with every passing second. It was New Year’s Eve, out of all days. And she was sitting here, waiting for the minutes to pass. Until it was finally 12am and she could pretend to enjoy the fireworks while everyone else was celebrating a new year. Great way to spend the night. 

She tore her gaze away from the wall, stepping out into the chilly night air and into the garden. She lit a cigarette, ignoring the urge to check her phone. Mal wasn’t calling. She knew he wasn’t calling because she had broken up with him a week ago. Actually, she didn’t even want him to call. 

Zoya took a drag from her cigarette, watching the smoke dissolve in the air. It wasn’t like she missed him. It had never even been a real relationship. She just wanted him to call to confirm that  _ he  _ was missing  _ her _ . 

She just wanted this emptiness inside her to go away. 

Someone else suddenly stepped into the garden, and Zoya huffed as she turned to Nikolai. “It’s almost midnight,” she greeted. “Shouldn’t you be preparing fireworks?” 

He raised a brow at her, handing her a drink. “Shouldn’t you be inside counting down the minutes?” Some golden strands had fallen into his face, and his bright hazel eyes were watching her attentively. Some days Zoya thought she should have hooked up with  _ him  _ that one night a few weeks back, and not with Mal Oretsev. 

Perhaps then she would have saved herself the trouble of getting Mal out of her life again. Or, the girlfriend he still had. The one she hadn’t known about. 

She blew some smoke in his face. “I’m not in the mood for couples and their midnight kisses right now.” It was a stupid tradition anyway. Who needed that nonsense. 

Nikolai smirked. “Your boyfriend isn’t coming?” 

Zoya wasn’t quite sure if he was asking out of interest or not. She took a sip from her drink. She wished he hadn’t mentioned it. “I don’t have a boyfriend.” Never for long, anyway. Hopping from relationship to relationship was easier than stopping and allowing yourself to get attached. 

A spark of interest lit up his eyes. “Really,” he replied, watching Zoya flick some ash off her cigarette. “You finally realized that you deserve better?” 

Zoya rolled her eyes in response, raising the glass back to her lips. She didn’t taste the alcohol anymore. “Is it midnight yet?” she asked instead, saving herself the reply. “I really don’t want to witness Genya jumping David once the clock strikes.” 

Nikolai huffed a laugh, glancing down at his watch. “Two more minutes.” 

Zoya sighed, exhaling some smoke. She was beginning to shiver in the cold air. 

“You’re sure you don’t want to go inside?” Nikolai offered. 

Zoya glanced back into the living room. Genya was already running around nervously, almost jumping up and down.  _ Saints, Zoya really hated New Year’s Eve.  _ She should have stayed home after all. “Really sure,” she confirmed, flicking the end of her cigarette into one of the ashtrays. 

Surprisingly enough, Nikolai slipped out of his jacket. For a second she contemplated not accepting, but then she simply took it without a word. The leather smelled of his cologne as she slipped inside, hugging her skin like a kiss. 

Just then, a firework went off somewhere. Zoya briefly looked up at the sky, and when her gaze returned to Nikolai he was standing oddly close. Apparently she was getting drunk at last. “Happy New Year,” she muttered, even managing a smile. The colors of the fireworks were reflecting in his eyes. She couldn’t help but stare. 

“Happy New Year,” he repeated, a slight smirk on his lips. Somehow, he was suddenly even closer to her. 

And somehow, Zoya didn’t want him to stop.  _ It’s the alcohol,  _ she told herself. Nikolai isn’t interested. She had spent too many nights alone with him before, drunk or sober, and he had never made a move before. Never even looked twice at her. Besides, he had almost as many exes as Zoya herself. She wasn’t interested in being just another number. 

And yet here they were, standing under the fireworks on the first day of the new year. 

“Is it still considered a midnight kiss if it’s one minute past twelve?” his voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts, barely more than a whisper. A firecracker went off somewhere. 

Zoya’s brain hadn’t quite comprehended the words just yet. “What-” she began but was cut off by the sudden sensation of Nikolai’s lips pressed against her own. 

Zoya reacted instinctively, her lips opening under his, and then, just like that, she was kissing him back. His tongue swept across her bottom lip and he was caressing the side of her face with his fingertips. 

Zoya dropped her glass. 

The sound was enough to make her jump back, the broken glass now lying at her feet. For a second she couldn’t move, only partly due to the reason that Nikolai still hadn’t let go of her waist. She could feel his touch everywhere on her skin. And the worst thing - she wanted more. 

His lips were still hovering just over hers, and Zoya was finding it increasingly hard to breathe. She wanted to say something, ask what had inspired this sudden change of heart, and yet… she remained silent. And didn’t move away. 

Nikolai seemed to have seen that as a form of encouragement since he leaned forward and kissed her again. 

This time he seemed to have dropped all hesitation. His teeth nipped at her bottom lip as he drew her closer, Zoya burying her hands in his hair as she got lost in the kiss, in the whirl of emotions that came with it. She didn’t hear the fireworks anymore. For a few seconds, the world seemed to go utterly silent. 

Until someone cleared their throat. 

Zoya blinked in confusion as she pulled away, shrieking back as she noticed Genya standing in the doorway, arms crossed. “I was wondering where you two went off to,” she commented, raising an auburn brow. “You’re missing the fireworks.”   
  
Zoya didn’t miss the smug expression on her best friend’s face. She had been urging Zoya to make a move on Nikolai for weeks now. “We’ll be there,” she told Genya, with an expression which allowed no further talk. 

Her best friend pursed her lips, perhaps silently judging Zoya, then turned and disappeared back inside. 

Nikolai released his hold on Zoya’s waist only hesitantly, brushing a hand through his hair. “So,” he concluded. “If you hate midnight kisses, do you at least like fireworks?” 

She was about to answer, just when her phone rang. Zoya didn’t need to see the name on the screen to know who was calling her. 

For some reason, Nikolai knew as well. His gaze turned slightly darker, but he didn’t comment. 

Zoya picked up the call. “What do you want?” she asked, more brisk than intended.  _ Why was he calling now?  _

Mal’s voice on the other end was surprised. “Do you want me to come over?” he asked, ignoring her prickly comment.

She huffed. “Don’t bother.” She was tempted to just end the call right then. 

But Mal’s voice held her back. “What’s your problem?” he asked into the phone. 

“We  _ broke up,”  _ Zoya replied sharply, too aware of Nikolai’s gaze resting on her. “That’s my problem.”

A silence followed. “Great,” he eventually said. “I just wanted to be nice, but apparently you don’t care.”   
  
Zoya felt the words pricking at her pride. She didn’t want his concern. “Goodbye,” was all she added before hanging up the call. 

“Everything okay?” Nikolai interrupted the sudden tension, watching her attentively. 

Zoya just nodded, wrapping her arms around herself. “You can go inside,” she offered. “Light some fireworks.” 

Nikolai grinned ever so slightly. “Oh, but I quite enjoy your company, Nazyalensky.” 

She rolled her eyes, refusing to show the fact that she had hoped for him to stay. Just a little while longer, without the others watching their every move. Just to remind her that she wasn’t all alone in the world. 

Above their heads, more fireworks exploded. Zoya glanced back down at her phone. Mal had left a text, but she wasn't quite in the mood to open it just yet. 

“I thought you didn’t have a boyfriend,” Nikolai remarked suddenly, and perhaps she imagined the shadow on his face, or maybe it was truly there. His eyes had lost the amused gleam. 

Zoya lifted a shoulder, looking up at the sky. “We broke it off,” she clarified. Whatever it had been, between them. Certainly not a real relationship. 

Nikolai’s gaze was resting on her. “You broke it off or he did?”

Zoya frowned, crossing her arms in front of her chest.  _ What did that matter now?  _ “I did,” she replied. She should have done so weeks ago. She had let herself linger in that illusion for much too long. 

Nikolai released a breath he apparently had been holding, running a hand through his hair. “So,” he concluded. “It’s over now?” 

“Why the sudden interest in my relationships?” Zoya snapped, a little too harsh maybe. But this was throwing her off. Why did he care?  _ Why had he kissed her?  _ She wasn’t sure whether she was ready to hear the answer. 

A moment of silence followed. Like he was out of words, very unlike Nikolai. “Well,” he muttered, gazing up at the sky. More fireworks exploded. “I just wanted to make sure I didn’t kiss someone else’s girlfriend.” 

Zoya huffed. “You think I’d run around kissing other guys while being in a relationship?” 

A smirk curled around his lips then, and she could have sworn he stepped a little closer. “Well, I didn’t exactly leave you too much of a choice.” 

She narrowed her eyes at him, too aware of how close they were standing. Or how she was shifting just a little closer just now. “I would have made sure you noticed my disagreement.”

His eyes lit up at the words. “So, you wanted me to kiss you?” A challenge. 

Zoya pressed her lips together. “I wasn’t opposed to the idea-” she began, trailing off as Nikolai placed a hand on her back, drawing her closer. She couldn’t think like this, with him being so close.. And then his hands were caressing her face, and Zoya felt the last bit of hesitation drop off. 

This time, she didn’t wait for him to kiss her. 

Nikolai’s lips pressed against hers with new intensity, pulling her against him, almost with enough force to throw her off balance. Her fingers curled up in the fabric of his shirt to steady herself, feeling the warmth of his skin underneath. She didn’t want to let go. She wanted to - 

The intensity of the feeling hit her too suddenly, and Zoya backed away.  _ She couldn’t hook up with Nikolai.  _ They were friends. He was off-limits. “I-” she began but never finished. She didn’t know what to say. 

This time, she was saved. Genya’s head peeked outside again. “Seriously,” she remarked, waving her glass. “You don’t want to miss my toast!” 

Nikolai smiled mildly, resting one hand on Zoya’s back and softly shoving her towards the door. She ignored the touch, slipping out of his jacket as they stepped back into the living room. Genya had disappeared in the kitchen. A bottle of wine was opened, according to the sound. Zoya turned to Nikolai.  _ How was she supposed to act?  _

He made the decision for her. “Okay, listen.” His eyes were watching her attentively. “I don’t want it to be weird between us, or anything.” He released a long breath. “I just… wanted to act while you were still single.” 

Zoya froze.  _ Wanted to act.  _ She stared up at him. “What is that supposed to mean?” He hadn’t been interested before, or she would have noticed. Especially with all the times, Genya had told her to just make a move on Nikolai.  _ Who cares if you’re friends,  _ Genya had said.  _ If you want him, go get him.  _

Nikolai looked suddenly insecure. Which was surprising enough in itself. “I’ve been meaning to ask you out for a while,” he eventually admitted. “But I couldn’t. I wasn’t sure if you were… taken.” 

Genya suddenly walked back into the room, leaving a glass in Zoya’s hand. “You’re welcome,” she chirped, obviously not noticing the tension between Nikolai and Zoya. 

Zoya glanced at Nikolai, stepping closer, so Genya wouldn’t hear. “Is this your way of asking me out right now?” 

His lips curled up in a smirk. “Why, would you object?” 

Zoya slowly sipped on her drink, buying time. “Maybe,” she said eventually, dropping her voice as David followed Genya into the living room. “Maybe I’m not that easily convinced.” 

Nikolai looked rather intrigued, reaching for her wrist and drawing her closer, for a moment, dropping his head so his lips grazed her ear. “Good thing I’m very convincing.” 

Zoya huffed in response. “And  _ very  _ humble,” she added. 

The grin he gave her was pure arrogance, but he dropped her wrist and stepped away, just when Genya shot the two of them an interested look and raised a brow at Zoya in question. 

But they wouldn’t discuss this tonight. Zoya offered Nikolai a smile, batting her lashes. “We will see just how convincing you are.” 

She could have sworn his eyes lit up at the challenge. 


End file.
